Naturally for this stage of the season a number of Premier League clubs no longer have anything to play for beyond pride. With league position secure some managers may see this as a chance to plan ahead for next season, or the summer transfer window. No doubt the international break would have given clubs the opportunity to assess their goals, their tactical plans and their squads. So as we enter the home straight, here are five managers who may already have one eye on the future… (Read more)

In light of Manchester United’s Champions League exit it is easy to forget what an excellent season they have had. Much of this owed to Ferguson’s mastery of tactical selection, evident once again against Real Madrid on Tuesday. United’s manager has never been a ground-breaking tactician, although he is by no means unskilled, but his strength has always been his power of selection. Player selection is a tactical trait in itself – creating a system is only half of the battle; selecting the players to perform desired roles is just as important. It is this that arguably places Ferguson higher than any in the world today… (Read more)

Arsenal’s demise from a European force to a club hanging on to European qualification via the Premier League has been well documented. Much of the blame is attributed to the quality of the players and manager Arsene Wenger’s transfer policy. Both are entirely reasonable assessments, but they ignore an important feature of the club’s evolution in recent years. Arsenal’s trophy-winning years seemingly dried up after the departures of stars like Patrick Vieira, Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry, but Wenger’s tactical changes have been just as damaging… (Read more)

European competition is often used as a measure of a league’s strength. Champions Manchester City’s early exit in the Champions League didn’t bode well for the Premier League’s claim to be the world’s best, and other clubs have done little to dispel this as anything other than a myth. Manchester United defied doubters to avoid defeat away to Real Madrid and Tottenham secured the draw required to seal an aggregate victory against a competitive Lyon side, but Newcastle and Chelsea laboured against moderate opposition. Liverpool fought in vain to overturn a first leg deficit against Zenit St. Petersburg, whilst Arsenal were utterly outclassed by Bayern Munich… (Read more)

That Liverpool signed Daniel Sturridge in the January transfer window was no great surprise. Following the loaning out of Andy Carroll in August and the failed attempt to sign Clint Dempsey as a replacement, Brendan Rodgers endured the first half-season of his Liverpool reign with only two senior forwards. In theory Sturridge seemed well suited to Rodgers style of playing, being quick, comfortable on the ball and capable of playing wide or through the middle. Yet there were issues with the forward that still made the move a little curious, and questions were raised about how exactly he would fit into the Liverpool side… (Read more)